This is the life of an antisocial hermit wannabe, who apparently loves traveling, shopping and seeing the world so much that she decided to put her lifetime ambition of being an antisocial hermit on hold, for now.

What's up in our Instagram

Mostly I blog about...

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Understanding Other Religions - Part 1

So there I was last year coming to the Islamic Information Centre in Kuching for a course entitled 'Friendly Comparative Religion' on which I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into.

This time around, I rejoined the same program (as a refresher course), knowing exactly what I had gotten myself into, and the only difference, the program had changed its name to 'Understanding Other Religions' but the content is still more or less the same.

And here's Brother Shah.

This program is taught by Shah Kirit, a Muslim preacher and advocator from Saba Islamic Media. The program aims to share with its participants on the similarities that Islam has with other religions and it also aims to enhance the participants' knowledge on Islam. It's a two day program which packs in information not only on Islam, but also on other religions like Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism etc.

The best part is, the more you know of other religions, you become even more aware of your own; meaning, learning of other religions does not mean that you'll be converting to that religion, it is just a learning process for you to appreciate your own. However, make sure you're learning from the right person. Because if you're learning from the wrong person.. Well, let me just put it this way, you wouldn't want to learn how to fix your car from a chef, right?

Let me share with you one of the things that I learnt from this program (caution: the following part of this blog is very religious in nature):

The formation of the human baby is cited in the Quran in the verses of:

76: 2 Indeed, We created man from a sperm-drop mixture that We may try him; and We made him hearing and seeing. (Surah Al-Insan: verse 2).

75: 37 - 39 Had he not been a sperm from semen emitted? Then he was a clinging clot, and [Allah] created [his form] and proportioned [him]. And made of him two mates, the male and the female.

23: 14 Then We made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood; then of that clot We made a (foetus) lump; then we made out of that lump bones and clothed the bones with flesh; then we developed out of it another creature. So blessed be Allah, the best to create! (Surah Al-Mukminun: verse 14)

Sayings from the Prophet as narrated by Abdullah bin Masoud:

"The creation of each one of you is composed in the mother's womb in forty days, in that (creation) it turns into such a clot, then in that turns in such a mudgha and then Allah sends an angel and orders him to write four things, i.e. his provision, his age, and whether he will be of the wretched or the blessed (in the Hereafter). Then the soul is breathed into him. And by Allah, a person among you (or a man) may do deeds of the people of the Fire till there is only a cubit or an arm-breadth distance between him and the Fire, but then that writing (which Allah has ordered the angel to write) precedes, and he does the deeds of the people of Paradise and enters it; and a man may do the deeds of the people of Paradise till there is only a cubit or two between him and Paradise, and then that writing precedes and he does the deeds of the people of Fire and enters it." (Sahih by Muslim)

Interested in this program? Here's the schedule:

It's actually a four-part program, so to graduate (i.e. complete the program) you have to attend all four parts. Those who would like to know more can contact the IIC. Their webpage is [here] or you can always visit their Facebook page [here].

Here's me and hubs with Brother Shah:

Oh, by the way, Brother Shah is one of the recipient for Maulidur Rasul Award 2012. Congratulations and keep up the good work!

About Me

I am a born and bred Sarawakian etched with bits and pieces of various world culture in me (due to my heritage and various travels). I owe my looks to the combination of Malay, English, Javanese and Chinese origin. Most people know me as an avid reader, writer, traveler and novice photographer.

I am a part of

Disclaimer

This blog is a collection of my thoughts, life experiences and perceptions. It aims to spread love and happiness to its readers. If you feel otherwise or feel offended in any way, feel free to stop reading. All blogposts and photos are original materials of Fareiny Morni unless mentioned otherwise.